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Hako Hankson
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Lives & Works in Douala, Cameroon
Hako Hankson is a self-taught artist who has been immersed in the culture of West Cameroon and the rituals of his tribe from an early age owing to his father being a notable sculptor and musician at the Royal Palace in Cameroon. His father’s sculptures’ aesthetic and symbolic features are evident in elements of Hankson’s own work. Hankson initially trained as a technician in automobile mechanics, however, pivoted swiftly into the world of art. He paints large-format scenes that investigate both the ancestral and the ultra-contemporary, plunging audiences into a fairytale world in which they can explore myths and beliefs of ancient African civilizations, skirting the boundary between the profane and the sacred. His exploration of ancestors, and their ability to be a bridge between the past and present, is central to his works and is something that he posits as innately African. Hankson’s works invite audiences to be active agents in the construction of their Africanity.  Hako Hankson will be presented by L’Atelier 21 Gallery.

Hako Hankson, Le Manteau et masque des responsabilités, 2023, Mixed media on canvas, 150 x 150 cm. Courtesy of the artist & L'Atelier 21 Art Gallery.

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